At present, the Mainland has not yet opened up, and it's not suitable for making suits and professional attire, but shoes are different. Women are born with a love for beauty, and if they can buy fashionable, warm, and waterproof winter shoes, they'll be willing to pay more.
On her way back, Lu Jiaxin pondered the feasibility of making winter shoes. She could easily come up with dozens of fashionable designs, but she didn't have the startup capital.
With the startup capital, she could go to Peng City to find a factory to produce them. The urgent matter at hand was raising the startup funds. She had a little over nine thousand in her passbook and a little more than two thousand in hand, but this was far from enough. If she was going to do it, she had to do it big. Otherwise, by the time her shoes hit the market, many others would have imitated them.
Xue Mao saw her frowning deeply and after hesitating, still said, "Sister Xin, are you still thinking about those shoes? If you really like them, let's go back and buy them, no matter the cost!"
He didn't understand the difference between lamb leather and synthetic leather and only thought it was expensive. But he couldn't deny, the shoes did look good.
Lu Jiaxin snapped back to reality and, smiling, said, "No, I was thinking of something else. Let's go, we'll take the bus home!"
While waiting for the bus, Xue Mao couldn't help but mutter again, "If I'd known, we could have just ridden our bikes here and saved the bus fare."
Lu Jiaxin knew he was scared of being poor and starving and that thriftiness was ingrained in his bones; she only hoped that he could change this habit when they had money.
When they got home it was already past one, and Lu Jiaxin's stomach was growling with hunger: "Let's eat at the small restaurant!"
Xue Mao was reluctant; it was too expensive: "Sister Xin, you go eat at the small restaurant, I'll just have some noodles."
Lu Jiaxin felt helpless; she had planned to hire a maid to wash clothes and cook once she had made money, but with Xue Mao acting like this, he would definitely oppose it fiercely. Oh, people at that time had industriousness as an instinct.
"Let's go, we won't skimp on this meal.
Xue Mao flatly refused to go, so Lu Jiaxin had no choice but to get a take-out of potato stewed chicken chunks from the small restaurant to eat with the noodles and vegetables at home.
Just after finishing the meal, they heard someone knocking at the door. Lu Jiaxin was a little puzzled; at this hour, her older and fifth brothers should all be at work and couldn't possibly come.
Xue Mao went to open the door and saw a stranger's face: "Who are you looking for?"
The visitor said, "My name is Su Heming, I'm looking for Lu Jiaxin. Is Lu Jiaxin at home?"
Lu Jiaxin thought for a moment and realized she didn't remember having met such a person.
The young man explained, "My name is Su Heming, my aunt is Su Ya. She fell ill recently and went to a sanatorium. Just yesterday, I got the news that you moved out from your family home. She called me over and said if you have any difficulties, tell me and I'll help you sort them out."
"Su Ya? I don't know her."
Su Heming was surprised: "How could you not know her? Your mother saved my cousin, and this house was even bought with my aunt's help."
Lu Jiaxin actually guessed his identity but still needed to clarify something: "My mother told me that Madam Xie's name is Su Hongying."
Su Heming explained that Madam Xie's original name was Su Ya, but she changed it to Su Hongying later due to certain reasons. Actually, his aunt preferred her original name.
Once his identity was confirmed, Lu Jiaxin let him in.
Xue Mao looked at his floral shirt and bell-bottoms with disdain. A grown man, dressed so garishly, was hard to look at.
Lu Jiaxin poured him a glass of water and, without beating around the bush, said directly, "Big Brother Su, could you give me Madam Xie's phone number? I need to speak with her about something."
Su Heming gripped the edge of the table with his left hand and said, "My aunt is still in the convalescent home, but you can talk to me just the same, I'll help you solve whatever it is."
Lu Jiaxin glanced at the watch on his wrist. The guy was not only wealthy but also had guts, nonchalantly wearing a diamond-studded gold watch.
Seeing her silence, Su Heming asked, "Do you want to teach that Ding woman a lesson? Don't worry, leave it to me."
Lu Jiaxin was speechless; anyone who didn't know better would think he was involved in the underworld. "No, I want to move my household registration here. But I only have the keys to the house, the property deed isn't with me."
With the property deed, she could prove the house was hers, and the street office would issue her a certificate. Otherwise, the police station would not accept her household registration. Even if Su Heming hadn't come today, she would have gone to Madam Xie's. It was she who had bought the house on her behalf, so the property deed was likely with her.
Su Heming thought it was some big problem, "I'll call my aunt later, and if the property deed really is with her, I'll bring it to you this afternoon."
"Okay."
Su Heming inquired if there was anything else Lu Jiaxin needed his help with.
Lu Jiaxin's only issue right now was the startup capital for the business she wanted to do. However, she hadn't planned on troubling Madam Xie with this matter; this relationship should be reserved for critical moments.
Seeing she had no other issues for him to handle, Su Heming soon left.
Xue Mao commented, "Sister, that Su Heming looks like a street thug. I have no idea what Madam Xie is thinking, letting such an unreliable person come to you."
Did he have anything else to seek him for? With that manner, it would be good enough not to cause trouble that could implicate his sister.
"Perhaps, there was no one else available."
Lu Jiaxin didn't know much about Madam Xie's situation, but she suspected that Madam Xie might not have it easy either. First, her health was so poor that she could only have one child, which already disqualified her by the current standards of valuing large families; second, her background was not great, and it surely had held her husband back in the past.
An hour and a half later, Su Heming came back. This time he carried a bag, and two men followed behind him, clearly underlings.
Lu Jiaxin was taking a nap and yawned continuously when woken up. If Su Heming hadn't brought the house and land deeds, she wouldn't have bothered; nothing was more important than eating and sleeping.
Su Heming entered the main room and took out a square, dark brown wooden box from the bag, which was carved with simple, antique patterns.
The box itself, easily recognizable as old, could fetch a good price in a few years.
It was only after Su Heming sent Xue Mao and the two underlings out that he opened the wooden box. Inside, on top, were two pieces of paper, and below them were pieces of jewelry.
Recalling Liao Xiangmei's words, Lu Jiaxin couldn't help but ask as she looked at the jewelry, "Su Heming, were these left by my mother with Madam Xie?"
All these pieces of jewelry used top-quality jade, but Liao Xiangmei had said that Mrs. Lu had a mutton-fat jade bracelet and jade pendant as well as an emerald necklace. None of the items here matched what she had described.
Lu Hongjun was a general manager, with a high salary and various benefits—those were only the visible perks, and there were even more unseen ones. Therefore, Mrs. Lu would only buy and would never sell.
Su Heming said, "There are some other things, which my little aunt said she will give to you when you come of age. Lu Jiaxin, don't overthink it, good jewelry is very valuable, and it's safer in my aunt's hands."
Lu Jiaxin was no mere child; she nodded and said, "I understand that by doing this, Madam Xie is trying to protect me. A child carrying gold in a bustling market will not only fail to keep the treasure safe but may also lose their life."
Su Heming felt that dealing with smart people was a relief.